It is known to fabricate an in-line roller skate frame from a metal extrusion by selectively machining the extrusion. The machining creates two side walls that extend lengthwise of the frame and that are spaced apart transversely of the frame. The side walls are bridged by mounting brackets that are spaced lengthwise of the frame to provide for mounting of the frame to the heel and sole regions of the skating boot. It is further known to provide a transverse slot in one of these mounting brackets so that a fastening means which is used to fasten the frame to the boot can pass through and provide a limited degree of transverse adjustment of the frame on the boot at that mounting bracket.
It is also known to mount the roller wheels between the side walls of the frame by means of axles that fit in aligned through-holes in the side walls. The axle has a D-shaped head and a shaft extending from that head. The D-shaped head fits into a complementary D-shaped counterbore in an outside surface of one sidewall with the intention of constraining the axle against turning in the through-holes when a screw is tightened into the opposite end of the shaft to secure the axle on the frame.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a differently shaped axle head and counterbore are provided. The new head and counterbore have been conceived as a result of the Applicant's discovery that the D-shaped head and counterbore tend to create slight, but nonetheless significant, distortion of the axle from an axis that is exactly perpendicular to the side walls of the frame. Since the typical in-line roller skate has from four to six roller wheels, the cumulative effect of these distortions can impair the efficiency of the skate. Such loss of efficiency detracts from the maximum speed that a given skater can attain with the skate, requiring a greater input from the skater to attain a given speed.
The ability of an in-line roller skate to attain optimum conformance to a given skater has also been found to depend upon the ability to position the frame on the boot. While the use of a transverse slot in a mounting bracket, as mentioned above, may afford some limited capability for frame/skate adjustment, the extent of that capability has been limited by the fact that the transverse spacing distance between the frame's side walls is defined by the width of the roller wheels.
According to another aspect of the invention, both mounting brackets of the frame are provided with a boot-confronting wall that extends transversely of the frame over and outwardly beyond both of the frame's side walls and through-slots extend in these mounting bracket walls transversely of the frame to span at least the spacing distance between the side walls. As a result, this aspect of the invention provides a substantially greater range for positioning the frame on the boot so that it can be better conformed to the preference of the user, and at the same time the transversely extended mounting bracket walls provide a larger area of transverse support against the boot without having to increase the spacing distance between the side walls of the frame where the roller wheels are mounted. This means that wider roller wheels are not required in order to attain the improved positioning capability of the frame on the boot and the improved transverse support of the boot on the mounting brackets.
A still further aspect of the invention relates to an improved capability for installing and removing roller wheels on and from the frame. Part of this capability is achieved because of the aforementioned new shapes that are imparted to the axle head and the counterbore in one of the frame side walls. Another part of this improved capability is achieved through the use of a special tool that facilitates the installation and removal of the roller wheels on and from the frame. A significant advantage of the improved installation and removal of the roller wheels is that such installation and removal can be performed on a wheel-by-wheel basis without the necessity of removing the frame from the boot. Specific details of the new shapes that have been imparted to the axle head and counterbore and of the tool will be described in the following Detailed Description of A Presently Preferred Embodiment of the Invention. Further features, advantages, and benefits of the invention will be disclosed in the description and drawings and may be perceived by the reader as the description proceeds.